A Dragon Date

Good Thursday morning!

The Gallery Pics are from Day 2 at Wind"y" Creek. (I know what you're thinking. Just be glad we didn't stay a whole week!)

A Camping Story - Wind"y" Creek - Part Two

We were hopeful the weather on our second day of camping would be much, much better... and in some ways it was. It did NOT rain. However, the clouds AND the wind AND the "COLD TO THE BONE" temps hung around for the rest of the day. It was too cold to take the boat out to test the patch-up job Mikie had performed on the enormous hole in the living well, but there was still plenty to do.

After a hearty breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, two kinds of sausages and hash browns (the Tuggles know how to DO breakfast), the kids spent the morning riding bikes and playing beach volleyball. Josh found a fishing spot he liked away from the camping crowds. Austin found a nice, warm place to catch up on some reading in the back seat of the truck.

Sparkle enjoyed naps behind her log wind shield. Patch, the Tuggle's smallest pup, explored our campsite. (As our camping time increased, Patch became braver and braver, and extended his boundaries. The Faulkners were amazed Patch always came home when called. Beagles are notorious for NOT coming home when called. They put their nose to the ground and follow scents until they look up three miles later and have no idea where "home" is. Well, that and the Tuggles actually TRAINED their dogs.) Nala, the Tuggle's lab, played in the water chasing ducks and geese if they came too close. (Oh, and she always came when they called, too. She even sat when she was told. We were again amazed.)

We had company this particular day of our trip. Julie's parents came bearing gifts. Gifts of ribs AND pork chops AND potato salad AND baked beans AND made-from-scratch pound cake AND sweet tea... Oh, my! It was a lip-smackin', finger-lickin' EXCELLENT lunch. Eric, Leisa and Anna Knight came for the day, also. After our feast, we went on a long walk around the campgrounds. After the exhausting long walk, we settled in chairs around the campfire beside the water to visit for awhile. It was the perfect camping day... except for the clouds AND the wind AND the "COLD TO THE BONE" temps. But we decided to overlook those three little things.

Since Anna wasn't going to be with us when the sun (HA!) went down, she wanted a couple of scary stories by the fire. I told Peelin' Potatoes and got a pretty good jump out of most of the people around the fire. Then Kelci told a story... and she made it to the very end before she added, "This is really better if someone comes from behind and scares everyone at this part." We looked around, but no scary person was making an appearance so it became a little more funny than scary which was fine with me. When you sleep in a tent with only the thinnest piece of nylon between you and whatever is "out there," you really want to go to bed believing everyone in the world is kind and decent and NOT scary.

After our guests left, the day ended in the typical camping fashion. We had leftovers for dinner. We set up a movie theater in the tent, and the kids watched Zathura. The parents sat around the table in the camper and talked. S'mores were eaten. Bathhouse trips were made (and made again by the womenfolk). It was a very good day.

NOTE - The bathhouses at Wind"y" Creek are very, very good. They are cleaned not once, but TWICE, a day. There is even a new bathhouse which is lovely. (You can only say a bathhouse is lovely after you've been to some of the campgrounds we have visited over the years.) Bathhouses are a deal breaker to women campers everywhere.

NOTE - When camping with a new family, there are many unknowns. The Tuggles were wonderful. Easy to be with, well-behaved kids, well-behaved pets, parents who bring good food... the list goes on and on. However, I had a very long talk with my guys about the Faulkner Five FACADE. Camping with three teenagers can make or break you on good days, and we really wanted to keep up the "perfect facade" I've created here on A Simple Life.

We agreed if things started to go downhill, I would scream "Facade! Facade!" to remind them to straighten up. I didn't really think about what an odd word it was to scream. I didn't think about the Tuggles wanting to know why every five minutes I screamed the word. Thus, the Tuggles now know the Faulkners are not perfect. They've been sworn to secrecy, but I have my doubts.

Let me know if you hear any rumors, and I'll put them to rest.

Easter "Oldie"

As promised, here is your first Easter "oldie."

Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt

NOTE - We had this egg hunt four or five years ago. I didn't want you to think our older teens were still hunting eggs!

This is something for the tween set. There are six kids in our family, so each child is assigned an egg color. If there are 14 clues, then there are only 14 hiding places with six eggs in each place... one egg per child. (When Roxie figures out the clue, she may find a total of six eggs in one hiding place, but she knows to get the yellow egg which is her assigned color, etc., etc.) Here is a sample of some of the clues.

It's smaller than Grandmother's house.
It's just a little red.
Last year she hid the eggs real deep!
This year they're on top, she said.
(Six eggs hidden at the shed behind my Mom's house.)

It's a porch just like Grandmother's,
As pretty as can be.
Across the street at Miss Olivia's
Easter eggs you will see.
(I broadened the search to include two or three neighbors' homes as well... with their permission, of course.)

In the yard, you will see many,
But special is one tree.
Aunt Bev taught you all to climb
So high you can see and see.
(Six eggs hidden in the "climbing tree.")

A gazebo is something we do not have.
We know one is nearby.
Miss Linda and Mr. Charles have said
Find your eggs and go bye-bye.
(Six more eggs hidden in a neighbor's gazebo.)

You get the idea. The clues do not have to be rhymes. The eggs can be hidden in harder places, also. When I made the clues, I always mixed them up. Each child had the same clues, but each child had them in a different order so they were running everywhere. The first one back to the front porch won a dollar.

Blog Linkage - I have three "must reads" for you today. All three are under My Blog List, so it's easy to just click and read.

1. Today's post on Nitty.Gritty. is about Jody's little girl, Teagan, who would have been 13 years-old today. A very sweet post from an amazing mom.

2. Tara's posts are usually more visual than verbal since she is a photographer... and I love that! I love when pictures tell the entire story. She has a post this week called "Light Sabers," and it took me back to when my boys were little and light sabers were slept with, packed in suitcases for trips and generally, just a part of our everyday lives. Simple, simple pleasures.

2. On Sherri's Blog, Sherri has written a post about finding joy in her life again after the loss of her Bronner. It is an eye-opener.

I also have a new blog listed under My Blog List. It is the blog of Sara Phillips. Sara and her family have recently moved to Vancouver to start a new church. I thought it would be fun to watch from afar as she and Jeff (and Emily and Ty) begin a new chapter of their life in a very different location. (Jeff was our Student Minister a few years ago. He and Sara are definitely stepping out of their comfort zone to follow God's plan for their lives.)

A Dragon Date

Does your little one want to see How To Train Your Dragon? If so, you may want to take him/her to Quintard Mall's AmStar Cinemas March 27 or March 28.

They will be having a Viking's Carnival, which is a mall-wide celebration of the movie's release. The How To Train Your Dragon Magically Enchanting Weekend starts at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 27 and noon Sunday, March 28.

There will be a mall-wide scavenger hunt sponsored by Best Buy. You can also meet characters from the movie, sample free food from local restaurants and create your own personalized shield with assistance from the JC Morgan Art Gallery.

Quintard Mall is located in Oxford, which is only a little over an hour from our area. You would have time to talk on the drive down, and re-live your date on the drive home. Stop by Mellow Mushroom after the movie and share a pizza.

Remember, it's not just a movie! It's an adventure!

This information was found on http://blog.al.com/bargain-mom.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing more of our Camping Story, another Easter "oldie," and Weekend Happenings in the Faulkner household. Check back if you have a chance. I hope you are all having a great Spring Break, and making wonderful memories with your family!

Take care, and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda